Hugo and Dean

Tell me about your time in advertising. How did you get started and why did you leave?

To be honest, we’re not completely out of advertising. It’s a wonderful way to make money, to learn to communicate ideas and build like minded comrades to explore ideas with. We started back at Uni together, we liked coming up with ideas and slowly found out that advertising was the place that converted them most. But COVID was a massive wake up call, we always said once we gained the powers to create, we’d use them for something bigger than advertising.

What are you doing now? 

We’ve moved into films and directing. Most creatives are frustrated directors. We want to make work we are truly proud of, that our kids can be proud of, that feeds the soul. It’s a chance to really explore how good we are. And the difference of working on a project you're fully passionate about is that everyone you collaborate with is too. Also advertising is ‘design by consensus’, whereas filmmaking is truly collaborative. Letting creative and craftspeople express their individuality without artistic limits.

How did you decide that directing films was the right path for you? 

It’s the difference between fast food and a home cooked meal. One just tastes better because when you direct something it’s made with so much love, for something bigger than a menopausal cream. The enjoyment just grows and grows until it’s finally out in the world and then it keeps on growing and growing. As creatives you need this, to get better, to build confidence and flow and momentum.

What was your first step in getting started?

Make. Then make it cheaper. With less people. Less kit. Less favors. Less obstacles. If something was stopping us, we just removed it from the equation and wrote something that didn’t need it. Two of our first films were pulled from free stock. So our sound design and editing had to get stronger. Then slowly it started to build up again, so we had to find partners who wanted to invest in our projects, not just monetarily, but with the same love for our ideas.

What struggles did you have?

Shit loads. Computers, folders, files, sketchbooks filled with them. But that’s the process. Everyone has shite ideas, everyone has done shite work. But we don’t struggle with that. If you do, it stifles creativity.

Did you have help along the way?

Yes. We owe everything to advertising. Particularly John Hegarty, in giving us a chance, in seeing something in us. Enough to pay us to train us. That’s why university is a waste of money, because you pay to learn. Then pay it off by really learning from the industry. But every single person we’ve ever worked with has taught us something vital. 

Did you ever consider giving up? 

Day one at BBH London was pretty scary. Seeing all the work and the incredible force of creativity, made us want to hide under our desks, but then we landed our first campaign and the drug addiction to ideas started. 

What would you do differently if you did it again? 

Start directing straight away. Take little projects, find things in agencies that need shooting, make music videos. I think we did that more than others but we should have fully jumped in.

What advice do you wish you had before you started?

If you hang your creative / self worth on the ads you make then you’ll never be happy. 

What's the single biggest mistake you made in doing this?

Forgot to focus on making meaningful work. Not for brands, but for the brand of work we believe in. 

What is the single most important thing that contributed to your success?

Being paid by brands to learn the art of communicating ideas, and for the ad industry people who saw enough in us to help us grow. Clients and creative side. 

Do you miss your old life?

We still freelance in advertising. And we enjoy it more, being able to add some creative firepower, but from a distance, without the internal pressure. It also allows us the time and space to make the films we want, so no, we don’t miss our old life, we’ve just made it work better.